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A large pot of soup with a ladle in the middle. Lemon slices are topped on the minestrone soup and surrounded by parsley and more lemons

Best Minestrone Soup

There’s nothing like a minestrone soup to infuse comfort in your life.  This minestrone soup recipe is not your average tomato one; it’s a creamy lemon vegetarian minestrone soup, featuring Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce, which bursts with flavor and is fresh!

Course Appetizer, easy, lunch, Soup, vegetarian
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword Best Minestrone Soup, Easy Minestrone Soup, Minestrone Soup Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 253 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 yellow onions diced
  • 3 carrots diced
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano dry
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 cups mushrooms diced or sliced
  • 1 jar Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce 15 oz
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup white beans canned or home cooked
  • 1 cup dried pasta or rice optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 3 cups kale chopped
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Garnish:

  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • lemon slices
  • black pepper
  • red chili flakes optional
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. 1.Preheat a large dutch oven pot or regular pot with the olive oil over medium heat on the stove.
  2. 2.Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Season them with salt and oregano. Sauté the mixture until the onions are soft and starting to turn golden. This may take 6-9 minutes. Don’t rush this step as it prevents a taste of raw onions in the soup.
  3. 3.Once the onion mixture is ready, add in the garlic and mushrooms. Sauté for an extra 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
  4. 4.Add the Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce, the stock, and beans.
  5. 5.Bring the soup to a boil and let it boil over low heat for 20 minutes so that all the flavors infuse. If you’re adding pasta to the soup, this is when you add a cup of elbow or any small pasta to the mixture. Let it cook for 20 minutes.
  6. 6.Season the soup with salt and oregano.
  7. 7.Add the kale, and cook for just 2 minutes until it has wilted.
  8. 8.Turn off the heat and add the lemon zest, Parmesan cheese and parsley.
  9. 9.Serve the soup with extra Parmesan cheese on top, lemon slices, black pepper, chili flakes and parsley.
  10. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

TIPS FOR EASY MINESTRONE SOUP 

  1. Gather your veggies from the fridge or buy them from your grocery store.
  2. Roasted or steamed veggie leftovers can also be used in the soup.
  3. Adjust the cooking time depending on how much time each veggie needs to cook.
  4. Saute the onions and celery with the carrots until the onions are very soft and nearly golden. This creates a soup with a nice, deep, sweet onion flavor, not a raw onion flavor.
  5. Make this minestrone in minutes using the Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce for a bright, zesty, and flavor-packed soup.
  6. Add stock, instead of water, for an extra level of flavor. Vegetable stock is great to keep this a vegetarian minestrone. However, any stock works.
  7. Always have a type of bean in your soup; if navy beans are not your favorite, you can use kidney beans. They add a good nutritional value and a creamy texture to the soup.
  8. Other add-ons to make your minestrone feel like a full meal are barley, quinoa, pasta, rice or a blend of these.
  9. Minestrone keeps well in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for three months. 
  10. It’s best to serve the minestrone soup with crusty garlic bread to keep it vegetarian. Or, serve it with grilled chicken as a side. 
Nutrition Facts
Best Minestrone Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 253 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 9mg3%
Sodium 846mg37%
Potassium 630mg18%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 14g28%
Vitamin A 9140IU183%
Vitamin C 50mg61%
Calcium 258mg26%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.